Stackable container

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a stackable container which is constructed of a single piece of cardboard with reinforced side panels, one of which is provided with a U shaped access opening. Corner supports on diagonal corners in the form of a quarter circle are formed on upper edge of the container with the two other corners being provided with angular support braces extending from one side panel and seated in a cut out notch provided in the adjacent front or back panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] There are no other applications related to the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to packaging and more specifically to improvements in stackable containers having a product access opening in one panel. The specifically designed container allows the same to be easily stored and transported and allows product to be displayed and gathered by the consumer.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART

[0003] This invention relates to stackable container, and more particularly to one-piece reinforced containers formed of foldable paperboard adapted to be shipped in a collapsed condition and readily set-up for later use.

[0004] It is desirable that containers of this type be rugged enough to withstand the rigorous stresses and pressures to which they are subjected under normal operating conditions, and at the same time be of simple design and construction so as to be economical to produce and easy to assemble in the field.

[0005] It is especially desirable that containers of this type have a corner construction which will permit the stacking of a plurality of containers without the danger of collapsing, which would damage the containers.

[0006] It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved paperboard container with interlocking wall construction which is easy to assemble.

[0007] One patent in this area, U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,753, issued May 29, 1962 is directed to a single piece container having quarter circle stacking seats in each corner which extend in a horizontal plane when the container is set up to facilitate vertical stacking.

[0008] Another patent is U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,204, issued Sep. 18, 1951 which is directed toward a container having reinforced walls and triangular corner extensions which form supports for stacking additional containers.

[0009] Accordingly, a unitary reinforced stackable container has been developed to handle product which are then presented to the consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention is a stackable container which is constructed of a single piece of cardboard with reinforced front, rear and side panels, one of which is provided with a U shaped access opening. Corner supports on diagonal corners in the form of a quarter circle are formed on upper edge of the container with the two other corners being provided with angular support braces extending from one panel and seating in a cut out provided in the adjacent panel.

[0011] It is the object of this invention to provide a coverless shipping container which may be formed from a single sheet of flat, lightweight, foldable sheet material and which is so constructed that it will support compression loading of superposed units.

[0012] It is another object of the invention to provide a container with reinforced walls which is easy to assemble.

[0013] It is still another object of the invention to provide a stackable container having corner supports.

[0014] Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the specification progresses, and the new and useful features of the stackable container will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

[0015] In the accompanying drawings, there is shown illustrative embodiments of the invention from which these and other objectives, novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled stackable container;

[0017]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the stackable container shown in FIG. 1;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a partial front elevational view taken from the inside of the container of the front panel the stackable container shown in FIG. 1 with the side panels shown in section;

[0019]FIG. 4 is a partial rear elevational view taken from the inside of the container of the rear panel of the stackable container shown in FIG. 1 with the side panels shown in section;

[0020]FIG. 5 is a partial side elevational view taken from the inside of the container of the right side panel of the stackable container shown in FIG. 1 with the front panel and rear panel shown in section;

[0021]FIG. 6 is a partial side elevational view taken from the inside of the container of the left side panel of the stackable container shown in FIG. 1 with the front panel and rear panel shown in section; and

[0022]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the unfolded container blank for the stackable container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The preferred embodiment and best mode of the stackable container invention is shown in FIGS. 1-7. The component material used for the stackable container 10 is made from a corrugated cardboard.

[0024] The stackable container 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-7 is constructed from a single blank 12 of corrugated sectioned paperboard panels 20,30,50,70 and 90 separated by scoring to provide hinge fold lines as is most clearly shown in FIG. 7. If desired, one side of the corrugated paperboard blank may be coated with a water resistant layer or chemical treatment.

[0025] The package blank 12 has a partial side panel 20 integrally formed with front panel 30 separated by a score line 21 allowing folding of the same to obtain a right angle orientation. Other score lines allow folding of the partial side panel 20 to provide a reinforced side section 22 and bottom section 28 of the stackable container 10. The partial side panel 20 has a reinforcing section 22 defining a cutout notch 24, a partial side section 26 and a bottom section 28. The side section 26 and bottom section 28 are separated by a scored fold line 27 and the side section 26 and reinforcing section 22 are separated by double scored fold lines 23. The reinforcing section 22 is glued and folded back along the surface of the partial side panel 26 to form an inside wall of the container with the notch cutout 24 and inner wall surface of side section 26 forming a notched recess 25 to receive corner support member 38 and its associated anchor tab 40. The partial side section 26 and bottom section 28 have an outer glue overlap portion 29 which is glued to partial side section 94 and bottom section 98.

[0026] A front panel 30 of the container is formed with a reinforcing section 32 which is separated from the front section 34 by double score fold lines 33. The reinforcing section 32 defines a U shaped cutout 35 which is adapted to be folded over fold line 33 and fit adjacent a U shaped cutout 36 formed in front section 34. The reinforcing section 32 also defines a corner support member 38 which is cut away from the reinforcing section 32 in the shape of a quarter circle with a fold line 39 dividing the corner support member into 45° segments. A foldable anchor tab 40 extends from the corner support member 38 and is provided with a scored line 41 which allows the tab 40 to be folded over and glued to the notch recess 25. The opposite side of the reinforcing section 32 defines a support brace member 42 which is provided with a scored fold line 43 allowing the same to be folded back and mounted in the notch recess 59 of the side panel 50 as will be further discussed. A bottom section 44 forms the third section of front panel 30 and is separated from the front section 34 by a scored fold line 45.

[0027] A full side panel 50 is connected to front section 34 via side section 54 and is formed with a reinforcing section 52 separated from the rectangular shaped side section 54 by a double scored fold line 53. The side section 54 is separated from front section 34 by score line 51. A bottom section 56 is separated from the side section 54 by a fold score line 55. The bottom section 56 is formed with a center cutout 57 and side legs. The reinforcing section 52 is adapted to be folded over on the double scored lines 53 and is glued to the side section 54. The reinforcing section 52 defines a cutout notch 58 which forms a notch recess 59 when the two sections (52, 54) are glued together. The opposite side of the reinforcing section 52 also defines a corner support member 60 which is cut away from the reinforcing section 52 in the shape of a quarter circle with a fold line 62 dividing the corner support member into 45° segments. A foldable anchor tab 64 extends from the corner support member 60 and is provided with a score line 65 which allows the tab 64 to be folded over and glued to the notch recess 25.

[0028] A rear panel 70 is connected to side section 54 via rear section 78 and is separated from the side panel 50 by a score fold line 71. The rear panel is constructed with a reinforcing section 72 defining a cutout notch 74 on one side and a longer cutout notch 76 on its opposite side and has double score fold lines 73 which separate rear section 78 from the reinforcing section 72. When the reinforcing section 72 is folded over score fold line 73, the notch cutouts 74 and 76 form notch recesses 25 and 59 respectively for seating the corner member 60 and corner support brace 96. A bottom section 80 of the rear panel is separated from the rear section 78 by a fold score line 79.

[0029] A lesser partial side panel 90 is formed with a reinforcing section 92 separated from a lesser partial side section 94 by double score lines 93. The partial side section 94 is connected to but separated from rear section 78 by score lines 91. The reinforcing section 92 has one side which defines a support brace member 96 which is provided with a scored fold line 97 allowing the same to be folded back and mounted in the notch recess 59 with the opposite side forming a straight line edge which fits in alignment with the straight line edge of the lesser partial side section 94. These edges are positioned adjacent each other as is seen in FIG. 5 when the container is assembled. A bottom section 98 is separated from the lesser partial side section 94 by a scored fold line 99. The bottom section 98 can be glued to the bottom section 28 of panel 20.

[0030] The scored lines noted above can be ¾×⅜ inch perforated scored lines or any other suitable scoring utilized by the industry. The reinforcing sections of the panels are provided with two parallel scored lines allowing the same to be easily folded along the scored lines for gluing to the respective front, side, and rear sections.

[0031] In assembly of the stackable container 10, glue or a suitable adhesive is applied on the front surfaces of reinforcement sections 22, 32, 52, 72 and 92 and the respective sections are folded over perforated score lines 23, 33, 53, 73 and 93 engaging the surfaces of reinforcement sections with sections 26, 34, 54, 78 and 94 and are secured thereto so that the reinforcement sections form the interior of the container. The lesser partial side 94, rear 78, side 54, front 34 and partial side 26 are then folded on score lines 91, 71, 51 and 21 respectively so that side section 26 overlaps side section 94. Glue is applied to edge portion 29 of side panel 26 so that it adheres to the outer surface of side section 94 as is shown in FIG. 2. The bottom panel 100 of the container is assembled by folding bottom section 56 and then folding bottoms sections 80 and 44 and 28 and 98 as best shown in FIG. 2.

[0032] The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments which have been described above. Instead, the embodiments described here should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others without departing from the scope of the present inventions defined by the following claims. 

What is clamed is:
 1. A stackable container formed from a single sheet of material comprising: side panel members, a front panel member connected to said side panel members and a rear panel member connected to said side panel members, each of said panels constructed with a container forming section, a reinforcing section adapted to be folded over and secured to said container forming section, said reinforcing section being defined and separated from said container forming section by scoring and a bottom section defined and separated from said container forming section by scoring, said bottom section being folded on said scoring to form at least a portion of a bottom of the container, at least one of said panel members defining a cutout allowing entry into an interior of said container and a plurality of corner support members defined by said panel member, said corner support member extending between adjacent panels to provide stacking support for containers placed thereon.
 2. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front panel member has a reinforcing section with a shaped cutout and a container forming section with an identical shaped cutout which are adapted to overlay each other when said reinforcing section is folded over said container forming section.
 3. A stackable container as claimed in claim 2 wherein each shaped cutout is “U” shaped.
 4. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said corner support member is shaped as a quarter circle with an anchor tab extending outwardly therefrom, said anchor tab being secured to an adjacent panel member.
 5. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said corner support member comprises a rectangular tab member provided with a fold score allowing the tab member to be folded and seated in a notch recess formed by the walls of a reinforcement section secured to a container forming section.
 6. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reinforcement sections define notched cutouts which form seats when said reinforcement section are folded over and secured to the respective container forming section of the same panel member.
 7. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reinforcing section is provided with an adhesive allowing it to be fastened to an interior surface of a respective container forming section.
 8. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said side panel members comprise one complete side panel member and a second two-piece side panel member, with said two-piece side panel member comprising two overlapping sections which are secured together.
 9. A reinforced stackable one-piece container comprising: side panels connected to a front panel and a rear panel and separated by score lines, at least one of said side panels comprises two members, one of which overlaps and is secured to the other, each of said panels including a container forming section, a reinforcing section adapted to be folded over and secured to it's container forming section so that the reinforcing section is inside the container, said reinforcing section being defined and separated from said container forming section by at least once fold line and a bottom section defined and separated from said container forming section by at least one fold line, said bottom section being folded along at least score line to form a portion of a bottom panel of the container, one of said panels defining a cutout allowing entry into an interior of said container and a plurality of corner supports mounted between adjacent panels to provide stacking support for additional containers on the top edge of said container.
 10. A one-piece container as claimed in claim 9 wherein at least one corner support comprises a member shaped as a quarter circle with an anchor tab extending therefrom defined by one panel, said anchor tab being secured to an adjacent panel.
 11. A one-piece container as claimed in claim 9 wherein said corner support comprises a rectangular tab member provided with a fold line allowing the tab member to be seated in a notch recess formed by the walls of a reinforcement section and a container forming section of an adjacent panel.
 12. A one-piece container as claimed in claim 9 wherein said corner support comprises a plurality of members shaped as a quarter circle with an anchor tab extending therefrom defined by one panel, said anchor tab being secured to an adjacent panel and a plurality of rectangular tab members provided with a fold line allowing the tab member to be seated in a notch recess formed by the walls of said reinforcement section and said container forming section.
 13. A one-piece container as claimed in claim 9 wherein a plurality of said reinforcement sections define notched cutouts which form recess seats when said reinforcement section is folded over and secured to the respective container forming section of said panel.
 14. A reinforced stackable one piece container comprising: side panels connected to a front panel and a rear panel, with at least one of said side panels constructed with two separate members, one of which overlaps and is secured to the other, each of said panels includes a container forming section, a reinforcing section adapted to be folded over and secured to said container forming section so that the reinforcing section is positioned inside the container, said reinforcing section being defined and separated from said container forming section by at least once fold line and a bottom section defined and separated from said container forming section by at least one fold line, said bottom section being folded over said score fold line to form at least a portion of a bottom of the container, a plurality of said reinforcement sections define notched cutouts which form recess seats when said reinforcement section is folded over and secured to the respective container forming section of said panel, one of said panels defining a cutout allowing entry into an interior of said container and a plurality of corner supports mounted between adjacent panels to provide stacking support for additional containers, said corner supports comprising a plurality of members shaped as a quarter circle with an anchor tab extending therefrom defined by one panel and a plurality of rectangular tab members provided with a fold line allowing each tab member to be seated in a notch recess formed by the walls of a reinforcement section and a container forming section of an adjacent panel.
 15. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein each corner support member shaped as a quarter circle with an anchor tab extending therefrom is defined by a reinforcement section of one panel and said anchor tab is secured to an adjacent panel.
 16. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein said rectangular tab member provided with a fold score extends diagonally between adjacent panels.
 17. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein said cut out is U shaped.
 18. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein said bottom panel includes a bottom section of each of said panels.
 19. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein said reinforcement sections are substantially rectangular in configuration.
 20. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein said panels are double scored between said reinforcement section and said container forming section. 